The Heart of the Matter
by Erksum
Summary: Kagome says that they will be a family, together forever but will that really be the case? This is my first fanfiction so let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

The Heart of the Matter

"Come on Inuyasha, you must see the humor in her making you 'sit' for your behavior," said an amused monk.

A bold string of obscenities came from the ground. "I might see the humor in it if she put this subduing spell on you Miroku." The spell finally released Inuyasha so he could glare at the monk. Then he turned his attention on his beautiful companion who had made him 'sit'. She glared back at him but it was a half-hearted glare so he knew she wasn't really really mad at him.

"You are so stupid if you think that I'm at all going to be your punching bag just because things are not going your way today," Kagome said with enough vehemence that he knew that she had been hurt by his words. Inuyasha felt a little guilty but saw that she wasn't glowing so he wasn't in real danger so he kept going.

"I'm not wrong, you're just a weak human and if it weren't for Sango, Miroku and I you would have been killed a long time ago. Sometimes I wonder why you stay here."Inuyasha folded his arms and turned around to grimace thinking he would get 'sat' again He didn't really want her to leave but he was irritated from the way the day had gone.

Kagome let out a sigh that sounded, to Inuyasha's twitchy dog ears, like, "Me too."

That brought a wave of emotions that the hanyou did not want to analyze too deeply. But the instinct to not let her go hit him like a ton of bricks and it took all his strength not to take the miko in his arms.

Sango, in her loud soft voice knowing full well that they all could hear her, said to Miroku, "One day Kagome will get sick of him treating her like dirt and ask us to either kill him or leave him by the road like the dog that he is." The venom in her voice told everyone that she was on her adopted sister's side. Kagome gave Sango a slight, but sad smile. The monk and the hanyou knew that though the demon slayer liked Inuyasha she would, if Kagome asked her, kill Inuyasha to protect her.

That made the hanyou enraged. As if Kagome would need protection from him. She was always protected by him but in the back of his mind he knew that that wasn't quite true. Unbidden the flashes of him turning into a full demon in Kaguya's castle and his claws digging into Kagome as she tried to bring him back to normal went through his head.

"Well it has been a long day maybe we should just all go to sleep before anyone does or says anything that cannot be taken back." Miroku said trying to break up some of the negativity in the air.

The red-haired kit at Kagome's feet finally spoke up, "But Kagome I'm hungry."

The miko looked at her adopted son with soft eyes. "Of course Shippo. Why don't you get some firewood and I'll start dinner."

When the fire had been started and the ramen handed out for everyone to eat Miroku, to lighten the mood, said, "If you would like to be near a person who would certainly appreciate your humanness I would gladly let you lay by me if you want."

Everyone ignored the growling as Sango clubbed the monk with her weapon saying, "You lecher."

"My dear Sango," replied the monk with a bump already rising on his head, "if you had wanted to be by me instead all you had to do was say so. I would much rather have you lay by me than any other woman."

"You lecher," the demon slayer said again with not as much heat as a pink blush crept over her cheeks. Miroku liked very much how the woman of his dreams looked with her blush just like Sango liked it when he said things that implied that he wanted her. Even as they looked dreamily in each other's eyes they had to push back their fears about one another.

As Shippo and Kagome were snuggling up for bed he decided to ask her, "Kagome? You won't really go and leave us all alone will you?"

Inuyasha, perched in his tree above them, listened as Kagome hugged the kit closer to her and replied, "No Shippo I won't leave. We are a family and we will stick together no matter what. And because we are a family none of us are alone whether we like it or not." With her speech Inuyasha visibly relaxed as did the rest of the group.

* * *

What none of them saw or hear was a woman in the bushes next to the traveling companions. _Family huh? They will stick together she says. We shall see._ And with that an eerie mist surrounded each person in the group.


	2. Shippo's Fear

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Shippo's Fear

Noise. What was that noise? Shippo opened his blue eyes to see his adopted mother rolling up her sleeping bag. The kit sat up a bit confused.

He looked at the others in his odd family. Miroku and Sango were also packing their stuff as if to leave. Inuyasha, he saw was taking care of the fire they must have used for breakfast but he couldn't smell anything that would have been eaten for breakfast.

Shippo jumped up looking at his new family saying, "I'm so sorry Kagome I didn't realize we were leaving. Did you try to wake me up?"

Inuyasha instead of Kagome answered him and his voice was full of hatred, "No we didn't try to wake you. You are so weak and not good for much. We don't want to bring you anymore because you're such a burden to us."

Shippo was very hurt and his eyes had started to water as he turn to Kagome thinking that she would scold him for being so mean like she always did. "Kagome," the kit whined as he waited for his adopted mother to punish the hanyou, but nothing happened to Inuyasha. There was no 'sit' command though.

The miko looked at him with her brown eyes but they gave the impression as if they were dead to the kit. Her eyes so full of love and acceptance had none of those emotions showing. There was no silent apology in them or shock of what Inuyasha had said. There was no hatred in her eyes like the hanyou tone had been when he had spoke and Shippo was grateful for that. What he did see in her eyes bought to the surface feelings of shame. Kagome looked at him with disappointment.

They had all picked up their stuff and turned to leave. Shippo, even hurt and confused, knew that he had to try and follow so he ran after them. They could just be playing a really mean joke on him right? But in the back of his mind he knew that Kagome couldn't and wouldn't play such a mean joke.

Inuyasha turned and so did the others. Miroku held a sutra at the ready and Sango held her weapon in the same way as well. Inuyasha hit him hard enough to make him fly back and hurt but not hard enough to knock him out and said in the same tone he had before, "Stay away from us. You're not worth the trouble so don't follow us. If you try I will kill you."

The young demon looked at his adopted mother so hurt that she was doing this to him. She looked back with her bow and an arrow in her hands pointing at him. With an emotionless voice she told him, "Stay."

And with that what was once his happy family left him and disappeared into the mist.

How could they do this to him? Didn't they know that they were the reason for him to be happy at all? After his parent had died he was alone and afraid. When he had met Kagome and Inuyasha and he joined with them they had, well mostly Kagome, brought some joy and love back to him. When Miroku and Sango had joined it felt like he had finally found a new home to replace all that he had lost to the thunder brothers. It felt so horrible. How could they do this to him? Shippo's heart felt as if it was ripped out of his chest and he started to cry.

* * *

Through the mist a pair of blue-grey eyes stared at the young demon and thought, _So he wasn't strong enough. I wonder how the others will hold up?_


	3. Sango's Fear

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Sango's Fears

Sango woke up with a start. As a reflex she grabbed her bone boomerang and rolled into a defensive position.

"What is wrong my dearest Sango?" asked Miroku.

Sango looked at Miroku and blushed at his words. The thought that he would like her and call her his was, to her, incredible. She had not really had time to be a girl in her training to be a demon slayer. It was only when she had met Kagome that she found what she had been missing. At the thought of Kagome Sango stood up and looked around for the others in their group but before she could notice anything really strange Miroku brought her attention back to him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked again and Sango noticed that his voice was a bit blank.

Sango shook her head at the monk and said, "No I was just startled was all."

The quiet monk got up from his position near her and turned as if he was leaving so Sango questioned him in return. "Are you going somewhere Miroku?"

"Yes, I am leaving." Once again he turns his back on her and takes a few steps.

The demon slayer was confused by his words as well as his expression so she stopped him. "Wait, you're leaving me? I mean us? Why? And where will you go?"

Looking back on her with his empty dark blue eyes he replied, "I don't love you."

And with those four words Sango's whole world seemed to fall apart. She tried to pull air into her lungs but she couldn't get a full breath so she gasped, "Y-you don't lo-love me?"

"No I don't. I told you I did but I was lying. I also know that I told you I would marry you but we both know that I would just cheat on you. I can't stay in this group pretending anymore." responded the monk in an emotionless, heartless tone.

But to Sango this appeared to be so surreal that her mind didn't grasp everything that he seemed to be saying. With confusion plastered on her face she inquired again, "Wh-what did you say?"

"Are you deaf or are you just stupid?" inquired Miroku with so much hatred that Sango flinched.

"I told you that I don't love you. You are not the woman for me, if you can even call yourself a woman at all. I want a woman who looks pretty and will make other men jealous not one who intimidates everyone and acts like a man. I want a lady. I can't believe that you even think that you are worthy of me," disapproval colored his voice along with his tone of superiority.

Every word he spoke just cut her deeper. All the things that he said to her were her worst fears with a man. She had gotten rejected before, not a lot because she hadn't been with many men but none of them had made her feel like this. Sango thought that she could have probably handled what he was saying if it was someone other than Miroku. That all this was coming from him, who had always been kind to her, was too much for the demon slayer to handle.

All this pain of the heart made the demon slayer angry with the lying lecherous monk. "Fine," she cried out, unable to keep the tears from streaming down her face, "go find someone who is a lady to help you fight Naraku. I hope your wind tunnel opens up and sucks you both to hell!"

Miroku gives her an angry smirk. "See, no lady would have your dirty mouth."

And with that he walked away and the mist engulfed him within seconds.

The tears never ceased as she watched, what she thought was, the love of her life walk away from her. When he was no longer in her sight she sunk to the ground and cried out in despair. _How could he have said those things to me? What did I do wrong? Well if he doesn't want me then good riddance,_ Sango thought but her heart felt as if it would just burst from the agonizing pain of it all.

* * *

The silent woman, watching the whole thing, had a wicked grin on her face. _She held up longer than the young demon but so far it looks as if the young miko was wrong. This 'family' as she called it is a bit too easy to rip apart and if nobody can keep their spirit intact after this test of their 'family' bond then I get to take their spirits and any powers they may have._ The mysterious woman laughed as she went to go to watch the others.


	4. Miroku's Fear

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Miroku's Fear

Miroku could feel an ominous presence but to him it seemed to come from all around him. _That doesn't make any sense how, can one demonic presence be all around us at once?_ Miroku thought.

He finally opened his eyes to face the one responsible but he didn't see anyone. That wasn't true he saw Sango as she was getting up but no demon. He watched her for a moment with her soft brown hair and her brilliant chocolate eyes. When she turned to him he saw her luscious lips that he wanted to kiss so badly.

"Is there something wrong Miroku?" Sango asked.

It was an innocent question but there was something off about it that the monk couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I'm not sure really. I thought I felt a demon presence all around us for a moment but I can't see anything," replied the monk.

"I haven't noticed anything like that. Maybe you're a bit stressed."

"Maybe," Miroku commented without really listening. He was too busy watching Sango. There was something in her body language that was off but what was it?

Then he realized that Sango was packing all of her stuff.

The confused monk decided to ask his demon slayer about it, "Are we leaving now? Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"We?" repeated Sango in a deadpan voice. "There is no we, it's just me. I think that it would be beneficial for me to leave this group of ours. I can't stay here."

Just then he figured out what was so off about Sango. It was her eyes. Normally her bright brown eyes were so full of love and happiness but right in that instant there was nothing. No love, no happiness, no teasing just an empty void where her eyes were.

Miroku started walking towards her and he said, "Well if you just wait I'll pack up my stuff and I'll go with you."

"No!" The word, so simple, came out of the demon slayer's mouth with such force that the monk flinched and took a step back.

As he looked at her he was mistaken when he had thought her eyes were like a void because her eyes had suddenly flashed with anger and… was that hatred? It couldn't be hatred for him could it? What had he done to render such hate?

"I'm leaving because of you so I definitely won't wait." The words seemed to drip with venom as she spoke them.

_What? Did I do something wrong?_

"I said that I'm leaving because of you." Sango repeated. Miroku hadn't realized he had spoken out loud.

She continued her speech, "I can't stay with you knowing that at any minute your wind tunnel in your hand could open even more and suck us all in and kill us. And you wanna know something?" she asked. Miroku knew that it was a rhetorical question so he didn't say anything but his mind was dreading what she was going to say next.

The smile that she gave him before she went on chilled him to the bone. It was not the smile that he remembered on _his_ demon slayer's face. Once upon a time her smiles were warm but not now. Now her smile was full of malice.

"I don't want to die with you or for you for that matter. None of us really do. I know that I told you that I loved you but it was a lie. How can anyone love you with that cursed hand of yours? I will not die because of your stupidity."

And with that she turned and left without a second glance behind her. The misty fog covered her retreat.

The pain hit him to such an extent and with so much force that it brought Miroku to his knees. With his mouth agape his mind couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence.

It was so unbelievable that if he hadn't heard the words coming out of the woman of his dreams… _no not anymore_ he mentally corrected. If it hadn't come straight from Sango's mouth he would have never believed it. To him it seemed that he had had his heart ripped out and stepped all over. All the good times that he had had with Sango flashed through his mind but all that didn't seem to mean anything to her. As he looked up into the starry sky, deep inside, a part of him that held his love seemed to die.

_

* * *

_

Well he gave in a lot quicker than the demon slayer had.

And with a quiet malevolent cackle the woman set her sights on her next prey. 


	5. Inuyasha's Fear

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Inuyasha's Fear

*_twitch*_

Barely coming into wakefulness Inuyasha's ear twitched again. He couldn't hear anything but something was making his instincts scream at him. Opening his eyes the hanyou looked all around his perch in the tree.

Inuyasha jumped down from his resting place trying again to see the danger his instincts were warning him of. But once again he saw and heard nothing.

"Inuyasha? Is there something wrong?" The familiar voice startled him which was weird because he always knew when she was near him.

Instead of acting startled his defensive instinct kicked in and he got angry as he normally did. "Damn it Kagome don't sneak up on me."

"Sorry," the beautiful girl from the future said unrepentant. "Well, is there something wrong?" asking the question again.

Inuyasha considered the question carefully before he said, "I'm not sure. My demon instincts are saying that there's danger but I can't find anything." As he finished he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to make out if he could smell the danger instead.

When he took in the scents all he could smell was the scent of Kagome but there was something troubling about it. The half demon breathed in Kagome's scent, which was like an arrange of flowers like lavender and peonies. Yet there was something else in the scent that wasn't usually there. What was it?

_One more time_, he thought, _and I'll figure it out._ So he took one last whiff of his Kagome's scent. Sour that was what it was. Her scent seemed sour but how it could that have happened baffled him.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at Kagome real closely. She didn't look any differently with her lustrous brunette hair and her mesmerizing brown eyes. Not to mention her full lips that, sometimes, seemed to call out to him to kiss.

"Inuyasha we need to talk."

_Oh great,_ the hanyou thought forgetting about her troubling scent. He hated it when she said stuff like that it usually meant that he was in trouble and more than likely at the end of the conversation he would be 'sat'. Instead he inquired, "Oh yeah? What about?"

"We need to talk about our quest. I don't think that this is working out."

Confused Inuyasha whispered brokenly, "Not…working…out?"

Kagome's eyes, once so mesmerizing, looked as if now they could penetrate him to his soul as she replied, "No it's not. I can't do this anymore, this pretending that you aren't a monster that isn't going to hurt me every time I turn around."

His whole world tilted as he listened to her. He got upset as he countered, "I won't hurt you, how can you say that? And where would you go? You're helpless on your own." Inuyasha didn't know why he said the last part because it was sure to get her even madder at him but to him it was true, he did appear to need to rescue her a lot.

The beautiful face that he had commited to memory twisted into fury as Kagome viciously spat out, "How? How you ask? It's quite easy seeing as once you let go of Tetsusaiga your demon blood takes control of you and you want to kill everything especially me. Remember when we were in Kaguya's castle? Or when you were fighting Goshinki afterward you barely knew us."

Kagome glared at him accusingly as if she expected an answer. Inuyasha's mouth went dry and he didn't think he could speak so he just nodded.

"And that's just when you are not your regular self. When you are just fine with no demon blood coursing through your veins you hurt me by just wanting to be with Kikyo when you are with me. I can't take this anymore so I thought about it and realized that it has nothing to do with me. It's you, you're not good enough for me being the half demon that you are."

Kagome said 'half demon' as if it were a curse word and to Inuyasha it was. His mind was reeling from what she had told him. There was so much he wanted to yell at her but all he said in a rough accusing whisper was, "But you promised. You promised that you would be with me no matter what."

A flash of amusement showed in her eyes before the hatred set back in and she retorted, "And you promised that you would protect me but you didn't. So I figure that if you can break your promise then I can break mine."

The hanyou was so shocked that all he could do was ask, "Do you want me to take you home so you don't get hurt?"

Kagome laughed at his question. Her laugh was cold and empty and nothing like the laugh he knew and loved. "No I don't want you to take me to the well. I don't want to travel with you anymore. I'm just going to leave and go find Koga."

"Koga?" asked Inuyasha incredulously.

"Yes Koga," she replied without any emotion this time. "He is a true, full demon and I know that he will protect me. I have decided to take him up on his offer to be his mate."

Inuyasha was so taken aback by her announcement that he stuttered, "To..to be his mate?" Kagome smirked at the shocked look on his face. "Bu..but you can't be his mate. You belong to me. I won't let you." His voice getting louder with each sentence. He said the final sentence as if it were the end of the argument.

"Won't let me?" Kagome asked with fury coating her words. "You have no claim over me I can do as I please. And if you won't let me go then I will just say the magic word for your subduing beads around your neck and leave anyway."

And with that Kagome left him and disappeared into the mist never looking back at him.

His mind was whirling from all the things she had said to him. When he had started out on this quest with her she had been like a breath of fresh air of love and laughter when he had been drowning in hate and misery. And now she had taken that away from him and he just felt empty like he would never be whole again. With all the thoughts running through his head the one that he thought often was, _How could I have messed this up? She was perfect._

* * *

With gleaming eyes the woman thought, H_is fears brought much more entertainment than I would have thought. Now on to the last one, the naïve little girl who thought her 'family' would be together no matter what._


	6. Kagome in the Spell

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Kagome in the spell

A cool breeze washed over Kagome and brushed her hair into her face tickling her nose arousing her from sleep. Thinking that if she would ignore it the tickling would go away but as fortune would have it another breeze went over her face bringing more hair. To her irritation she fully woke up sweeping the hair out of her face but not opening her eyes. She stretched in her sleeping bag and noticed something was missing but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Before she could think too much about it she heard a noise that stilled her.

Listening hard she heard it again. She almost missed it with the blood that rushed to her ears. It sounded like rustling, clothes maybe. She kept her eyes closed, afraid of what she would see.

_How silly I am. What could be out there that Inuyasha wouldn't hear and protect me from?_ Kagome chastised herself. And with that thought she opened her eyes.

The miko looked around and saw her hanyou a few feet away from her but his back was toward her. It was weird because usually he was in the tree above her when she woke up in the middle of the night as if he were the protector of the world. And sometimes, Kagome thought, he really was, at least he was of her world.

Kagome sat up and pushed part of her sleeping bag off of her and stood up. Again she got the feeling like she was missing something that should be there but Inuyasha turned around at that moment. There was something off about him but the miko couldn't put her finger on it.

Instead of trying to guess she decided to be direct and asked, "Inuyasha? Inuyasha is there something wrong?"

The hanyou gave her a look that chilled her to the bone. It was a look that he got when he was changed into his demon form. It was odd because his eyes weren't red and there were no purple lines on his cheeks but the look still said he was dangerous and mad. Kagome took a step back in fear.

"Is there something wrong?" Inuyasha said mockingly. "When you are around there is always something wrong. You're a pathetic human and not a very good priestess. You are such a pest with you always having to be saved. I can't believe you would ask such a stupid question," he sneered wickedly.

Kagome was hurt by the things he was saying but couldn't find her voice to respond. She could do nothing but gape at him. To the miko it just seemed as if he wanted to continue the argument from last night but she couldn't figure out why he was being crueler this time around. When she finally got her voice she tried to muster up some anger. "This is stupid. Why would you bring that up again? I am a fine priestess and a more than decent human being," but to Kagome's ears it sounded more like she was whimpering. The time traveling girl cleared her throat and said, with more vigor, "And I have saved you too. You would be dead if it weren't for me."

"As if," Inuyasha disagreed vehemently and continued with his rant, "and even if you did save me I would have never been in those positions in the first place if it weren't for you. And as for you being a 'fine priestess' you must be delusional because Kikyo was, and even as dead as she is now is still a much better priestess than you."

Kagome gasped as she whispered in a hurt voice, "Are you possessed? How could you say that?"

The hanyou laughed callously knowing he had hit a soft spot. "Because it's the truth. And you know that as soon as I can I'm going to leave you for Kikyo."

Kagome looked to the ground in defeat. She had believed that he would do this for a long time but to hear him say it out loud was still a blow to her heart. Hearing his 'truth' was tough but she thought that if he could say his 'truth' then she could tell him the truth as well.

The miko looked up with resolve in her brown eyes. "Yes," she confessed, "I do know that you will go to Kikyo when this is all over but do you really think that anything will have changed? Will she love you for who you truly are like I do? I don't think so. And you may not need me right now but I need you. This family loves and needs you."

As soon as she said the last part she figured out what she had been missing. She hadn't seen Shippo, Sango or Miroku. It was as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes and she saw the demon mist that surrounded her. The Inuyasha that was in front of her was wavering as if he were a mirage.

_He is a mirage. He must be part of a spell to show us our fears but what would the purpose be? And how can I see it as being a spell now and not before?_ Kagome thought. And then it came to her. It was because she wasn't just seeing and thinking of her fears she had thought of her family and someone other than herself.

Now that she could see that it was a spell and it was weakening Kagome thought that she could purify the rest of it with her sacred arrow.

As she picked up her bow and arrows the mirage Inuyasha's eyes turned from a golden amber to a blue grey and they looked confounded. The miko pointed her weapon at the fake hanyou but then thought that if her arrow went all the way through the mist she could accidentally hit one of her friends. So instead she pointed it at the ground at the fake before her.

_*Twang_* and then *_Thump*_ was all that was heard as she let loose the arrow.

Then the air around her and the mirage shined a bright pink and dissipated along with the spells mist. A rush of heat washed over her as the cold of the mist melted away. _It worked!_ Kagome thought excitedly. As soon as all of the mist was gone she turned to find her friends. As she looked she saw that they all had their own mist cloud surrounding them. The time traveling miko was determined to help get her friends out of them and help them with their fears. _Because that's what family does they help each other and let them know that they are not alone,_ Kagome thought rephrasing what she had told her adopted son.


	7. Mending Shippo's Heart

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Mending Shippo's Heart

The smart young girl looked at her trapped friends. _How am I suppose to help them from their spells when I really don't know how it works?_ Kagome thought in brief moment of anguish. _No it doesn't matter I have to help._ And with that Kagome ran to the one nearest to her.

"Shippo! Shippo you have to snap out of it. You are in a spell," the miko yelled at the young demon before her.

It didn't seem to matter how loud she yelled or what she yelled at the kit, he just couldn't hear her. The mist was thick but she could see her adopted son crying in the middle of it. Seeing Shippo like that almost broke her heart.

_What if I used an arrow?_ thought the time traveler. As she slung the bow off her back and pulled an arrow from the quiver she heard a voice. Kagome turned quickly to face the intruder, ready to purify.

"He can't hear you my dear girl. He gave into his fears and has believed them to be true and no one and nothing from the outside will be able to tell him differently. They all have," said a woman coming toward her. The woman's blue grey eyes were looking at Kagome as if she were a new thing to examine.

"Don't move any closer." Kagome hissed out in anger. Her bow was pointed at the strange woman's chest.

The lady did as the young priestess said for she knew that the girl was powerful. But the blue grey eyes never stopped looking at Kagome with curiosity. _She maybe powerful but power isn't enough to break my spell. This girl's power isn't from being a priestess, its power of the heart. _The spell caster was pulled from her trance by the girl before her.

"Well get them out since you put them in there," Kagome demanded.

The stranger gave an amused smile that irked Kagome. She couldn't figure out how the woman before her could look amused as her friends were trapped in a horrible spell. Before she could ask why she was amused the woman replied, "I can't do that."

"You can't or you won't?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"I can't. It's not how the spell works. I told you, nothing and no one from the outside can get them out. That includes me. If they don't get out soon their spirits will be lost and belong to me," the lady replied as if she was sorry that Kagome would lose her friends. She looked at the miko like any hope for her odd family was gone.

Obviously the spell caster didn't know the young girl very well if she thought that Kagome would just give up on her friends. _Nothing from the outside huh? Well then I'll just have to get in with them,_ Kagome thought as she turned back to the kit that was in the closest spell mist. Before she could change her mind the miko kept a strong hold of her bow and arrows as she rushed into the mist.

From the outside, the mist looked like it was very close but it took her a few minutes to get to Shippo. The kit was on his knees with his head in his hands. Kagome looked at the young demon in concern and kneeled beside him. The kit didn't notice that someone was next to him.

"Oh Shippo," Kagome whispered as she reached out to stroke his soft red hair. Shippo flinched as he felt someone touch him. He looked up to see who it was. Kagome saw his eyes, which were usually a bright green, were now red and puffy from crying.

"Ka-Kagome?" Shippo stuttered in disbelief.

The miko nodded, too choked up to say anything. As she stared at the young boy she thought she saw a flicker of hope come back into the kit's eyes. But as quickly as it had come it disappeared. "B-but you guys said I was a burden and that you didn't want me anymore," Shippo stated as more tears ran down his face.

Pure, undiluted rage ran through Kagome at the spell caster for putting her adopted son through this. To make him feel unwanted was more than wrong. It was cruel. When Kagome got her anger under control she asked, "Is that what you saw?"

The young demon looked at Kagome in confusion before replying, "Yes. You were there and you left me." Shippo looked down and said dejectedly, "Everyone left me."

"Oh Shippo," Kagome said again as she scooped up the kit in her arms and hugged him tightly. "That wasn't any of us. You are under a spell and what you see is created by your fears." Kagome explained.

"A spell of fears?" Shippo asked.

The miko nodded before continuing her explanation, "There is a spell surrounding us made up of mist."

"I don't see any mist," the kit interrupted.

At that Kagome looked around and then said, "I didn't see the mist either until I fought my fear and refused to give into it. So that's what you have to do."

"How?"

She had to think about it for a moment before saying, "Well I think you do it by not accepting what the fake us said to you."

When she saw the look her adopted son gave her she tried to go about it another way. "Hmm… Do you really believe that we would just pick up and leave you in the middle of the night after all of us, even Inuyasha, have tried so hard to keep you safe?"

The kit considered it a while. "I don't think so," the mist wavered a bit but became solid again as Shippo went on, "but Inuyasha and I fight all the time so he might want to be rid of me."

"I fight with him too but that's what families do. They fight. That doesn't mean that we don't love you or want to be without you," she said as she tried to put his abandonment issues to rest.

"Even Inuyasha?" came the uncertain question.

Kagome smiled and said, "Yes even Inuyasha. He may not say it but he loves you and will protect you with his life just like I would."

Shippo was so grateful for Kagome that he hugged his adopted mother very tightly. _She's right,_ the young demon thought, _Inyasha and the rest love me. Kagome loves me. And I love my family too._

As he thought that they began to see the mist around them.

"You did it Shippo. Now let's get out of here."

Shippo nodded as Kagome pulled her bow and arrow and aimed and shot it at the ground like before. And just like before the air around them glowed pink, purifying the mist. As the air cleared Kagome noticed that she didn't see the strange woman who said she cast the spell. Kagome shook her head, right now she didn't need to worry about the spell caster, she needed to focus on helping her friends.


	8. Helping Sango

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Helping Sango

Kagome looked at Shippo then looked at Sango in her mist since she was closer. She deliberated before turning to Shippo and asking, "Do you want to stay outside of the spell or come with me to help Sango?"

It only took the kit a second to answer. "I want to stay with you."

"I don't know what will be in there. You might be safer out here," Kagome reasoned. _Except if that strange spell caster comes back,_ Kagome thought fleetingly before shaking the thought.

Shippo looked straight at Kagome with his serious green eyes and replied, "We are a family and we need to help each other."

Kagome's brown eyes softened at his words and she gave a slight smile. She picked up her adopted son and walked into Sango's mist.

Like with Shippo's mist it looked like she wasn't far from them when looking from the outside but the tricky spell made it so that it took them a few minutes to find her. When they did find her she was on the ground curled in a ball.

When they walked up to her Kagome and Shippo heard Sango crying so hard. Kagome reached her hand out and touched Sango on her shoulder. At the touch the demon slayer yelped and sat up.

"Sango it's ok. You are alright," Kagome said softly so she wouldn't startle her friend more than she already had been.

"Ka – Kagome?" Sango stuttered baffled. She then saw the young demon. To Kagome it seemed that Sango was squinting to make her eyes focus. Like she couldn't trust what she was seeing. _Maybe she shouldn't because there is no telling what her fears were showing her,_ the miko thought. "Shippo? Are you guys going to leave me too?"

Shippo looked at Kagome with pity in his eyes for their broken companion. So she had the fear of them leaving her. Kagome mentally corrected herself, _No that's not right she said too, so we weren't in the mirage that made her cry._

Kagome wasn't sure if she was upset with that or relieved. She went with being relieved.

Kagome knelt by her adopted sister. She gently prodded for information, "Sango what did you see and hear before Shippo and I came?"

Sango's eyes filled up with tears as she looked at the ground in front of her. With defeat in her voice she said, "It doesn't matter anymore. He's gone, he doesn't love me."

Kagome understood who the 'he' that she had referred to was. Shippo hadn't so before the miko could stop him he asked, "Who left Sango?"

"Miroku." All the pain in her heart showed as she said that one word.

Shippo looked at the broken demon slayer and then at Kagome with unshed tears in his eyes. "Kagome," the kit whispered, "we have to tell her that it wasn't really him."

Kagome nodded and replied, "I just had to figure out what it was the fear mist had showed her."

Then she turned to Sango. "Sango I need you to listen close," said Kagome trying to get her friends attention.

Sango turned her brown eyes on Kagome. She didn't say anything but at least she was listening and that was a good sign to the miko.

"Sango the Miroku you saw was not the real one," Kagome tried to explain.

"What are you talking about? I saw him. He was right in front of me telling me all these horrible and hurtful things," argued Sango.

"But that wasn't really him. Do you really think that Miroku would really say anything hurtful to you? He loves you very much. He couldn't." Kagome countered.

Sango looked at the two with a small glint of hope in her eyes just before it was snuffed out when she said, "That's what I thought too but you didn't see him. You didn't see the coldness in his eyes."

"But Sango what you saw wasn't real. You are in some kind of fear spell. I was too. I saw all of you leaving me behind because you guys thought I was a burden," chipped in Shippo. "But you don't think that I really am a burden do you Sango?"

The demon slayer was so shocked at what the kit had said. She replied to the question, "No Shippo I don't think that you are a burden."

"See, so Miroku doesn't really want to leave you either. It's just this spell mist that we are in. It's just showing us our fears," Shippo explained.

"That's right," Kagome agreed.

"So it wasn't the real Miroku?" Sango asked to make sure she got what they were saying.

The kit and the miko both nodded. And that fact made her feel so much better that the misty air around them started to shimmer. "What is this?" Sango asked confused.

"You did it Sango! You are fighting your fear. The mist around us is the spell now I can help get us out." Kagome said. With that she pulled out her arrow and put it in her bow. And just like she had done with her own spell and Shippo's she pointed it at the ground and let loose. For the third time that night the air shimmered pink with priestess energy.

Finally they were free again and now for the next member of the group.


	9. Saving The Monk

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Saving The Monk

Sango looked around as Kagome, carrying Shippo, went to Miroku's fear mist. She stopped before entering and turned to look at Sango. Sango was looking nervously at the mist.

Kagome was concerned for her friend so she said, "Sango you don't have to come. You and Shippo can stay out here and I'll go get Miroku."

Kagome wasn't prepared for the demon slayer's answer, "What if he realizes that I thought he would leave me? That I didn't have enough faith? Would he be ashamed of me?"

Kagome didn't know what to say to that but then Shippo chimed in. "We are allowed to have fears Sango. My fear is that you guys would leave me," he reminded the demon slayer. "Does that mean you are ashamed of me?"

The miko was surprised at the young demon's response. Shippo was quite clever at alleviating Sango's nervousness. Apparently Sango was also surprised as she said, "No, no of course I'm not ashamed of you."

"See," Kagome broke in, "as he said before we are allowed to have fears and doubts and there is no shame in that. So don't worry, remember that Miroku loves you and you love him."

The demon slayer nodded and the group went into the mist.

When they found the monk he was on his knees. The look on his face was devastation. Sango ran up to him falling on her knees beside him.

He didn't seem to notice her so she spoke softly, "Miroku."

When he heard his name he turned and saw Sango and he flinched and scrambled back as if he had seen a ghost, or a living nightmare. That's when Kagome and Shippo ran to the monk.

"Miroku? What is wrong?" Sango said in a hurt voice though she didn't move to get closer. She was afraid that he would back away from her again.

Miroku let out a hurtful and sarcastic laugh. "You ask me what's wrong? You broke my heart and you ask me what is wrong?" Miroku said incredulously.

Sango looked down at the ground as if she were a beaten pup. So Kagome took a hold of the situation. "Miroku look at me." He did as she commanded and then went on, "Tell me what you saw and what you heard before we came."

"You just have to ask…her." Miroku's voice cracked as if he couldn't say Sango's name. When he said 'her' he pointed at the demon slayer without ever taking his eyes off the miko.

Kagome shook her head and said, "I want to hear it from you."

It was the monk's turn to look down. He spoke so softly that the group had a hard time hearing him. "I heard a noise that woke me up. It was S– Sango. She said that she didn't want to be around when my wind tunnel opened up and that none of you really did. She told me that she didn't love me and was leaving."

At that last sentence Sango looked up in defiance and said, "But I do love you."

Kagome interrupted by explaining to the monk, "What you saw was not real. You are trapped in a spell which shows you your fears. Your wind tunnel is part of who you are and we wouldn't change a thing about you."

The monk looked confused and asked, "What I saw wasn't real? Are you sure?"

This time it was Sango who spoke, "We are sure what you saw wasn't real. We all saw things that weren't real. I saw you and you told me that you didn't love me either and were leaving me as well."

Miroku was shocked at what the demon slayer he finally looked at her. He saw that she was telling the truth so he said, "I love you Sango and I don't ever want to leave you." His declaration was so moving.

Sango and Miroku got up and walked slowly toward each other. When they found the middle between them they were face to face. As her chocolate eyes met his dark blue ones a silent conversation of love passed among the two. At the end of the silent exchange Sango took Miroku's hand with the wind tunnel in hers and squeezed it tight. The monk squeezed back.

And then they all saw the mist shimmer around them. Without a sound Kagome took her bow and arrows out and aimed at the ground a few feet away from them. As the arrow hit the ground the misty air around them glowed pink as it purified.

They all breathed easier when the mist disappeared. Now to rescue the final one in the family. The miko looked at her hanyou's misty spell afraid of what his fear was.


	10. Showing Inuyasha the way

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Showing Inuyasha the way

Those in the group that were freed walked to the only one who was not. Kagome stopped the rest from walking into the spell. "I want you guys to stay out here while I go and help Inuyasha."

There was a bit of protest from the other three all at once.

"You said that we were a family and that family helps each other," Shippo said quoting what Kagome had said earlier in the evening.

"Kagome you may need our help convincing him," Sango stated reasonably.

"Lady Kagome what if you get trapped in there?" Miroku questioned with much concern.

"You guys," Kagome interrupting all arguments, "we have no idea what Inuyasha's fear is but it could be that he fears turning into his demon half. I'm the only one who can help him in his demon form and if you guys go in he may hurt you. Plus the strange lady who put us in the spells may come back and not want Inuyasha and me to get out so you need to fight her."

"Strange lady?" came the chorus. All of them were confused by this new information.

Kagome then realized that none of them knew about the spell caster that made them face their fears. She explained to them about the odd woman she had seen.

After a bit more of an argument they decided that it was a good idea that Kagome go and help Inuyasha and the other three stay in case the spell caster came.

The miko took a deep breath, steeling her resolve and plunged into the mist.

When she found Inuyasha he had his back to her. She hadn't been making excuses when she had thought that he may have turned into his demon self but Kagome thought that that would be what he wanted rather than a fear. She tried to think of things that could manifest in the hanyou's spell and the only thing she could think of was Kikyo.

Then she remembered what the spell had shown her. Her stomach tightened and her heart hurt at the memory. She had said the truth when she had told the mirage that she thought that he would eventually go back to the dead yet undead priestess.

The miko shook her head. She can't think about that right now.

Inuyasha was only a few feet away from her but just in case he was in his demon form she called out, "Inuyasha?" He didn't respond. "Inuyasha are you hurt?" she asked worriedly. Not thinking of his demon half anymore she took the few steps to him and put a hand on his arm.

His eyes were closed and he didn't try to open them. In a gruff voice he said, "I thought you were leaving, going to find Koga."

Kagome was confused at first by his words and put her hand to her side. Then she understood, he saw her. Her heart leapt at the thought that he would see her. She had to make sure so she got her insides under control and asked, "You saw me, before now, the person you saw was me?"

He finally opened his eyes and the gold in them was dark with anger. "What do you mean? Of course I saw you."

To Kagome his golden eyes, even when they were darkened by anger, were mesmerizing and she felt that she could get lost in them. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and said, "I know this might sound weird. What you saw wasn't real but I need you to tell me what it said to you."

"Not real?" Inuyasha repeated dubiously.

"Yes," said Kagome patiently.

The hanyou looked at the miko uncertainly and then closed his eyes again. Kagome was about to say something when she realized what he was doing. Inuyasha was trying to make sure she was who she said she was by her scent.

When he opened them his eyes held a lot of confusion in them. He spoke warily, "The person earlier smelled just like you except it had a sour smell to it. Your scent is like it normally is."

Kagome gave him a small smile. "We are in a spell. In this spell it shows us our fears so I need to know what the fake me told you so I can help you fight it so we can get out."

This time Inuyasha looked down as if in embarrassment. "I saw you. You said you were leaving because I was a monster and that you were afraid because I hurt you." Kagome put her hand back on him as he went on, "You gave examples of when I turned into my demon form and I hurt you. Then you told me that I hurt you when I am not in my demon form too."

He stopped there and Kagome didn't need him to say it because they both knew that at least the fake got it right for once. Kikyo's link to Inuyasha did hurt Kagome. She squeezed his arm in comfort.

Kagome didn't want the unsaid words to linger in the air so she asked, "What does Koga have to do with it?"

Not looking at her his jaw clenched before he said in a relatively even tone, "You said that you didn't want to travel with me and you were going to find Koga. You told me that you were going to be his mate because you knew that he wouldn't break his promise to protect you and that he was a true demon."

At first Kagome didn't know what to say about his fears so she sat down on the ground next to him. "I saw you," the miko said softly but she knew he would hear her. Kagome didn't look at him but she could feel his eyes turn to her. "When I was in the spell," she clarified but Inuyasha already knew that was what she was talking about.

"You told me that you were leaving me and going to find her." Kagome couldn't say Kikyo's name. "You also told me she was a better priestess than I am even if she is dead," her voice broke. Kagome cleared her throat, looked up at the hanyou and said, "See you were my fear too."

There was a pause before she continued, "I don't think that you are a monster. I like you just the way you are, the good and the bad. You are kind and wonderful even if you do have a bit of a temper. I wouldn't want you any other way though. And about Koga," Inuyasha stiffened at the wolf demon's name. Kagome saw but kept on going, "he doesn't even come close to you."

Inuyasha put out his hand to help her stand up. She took it and stood in front of him, a bit closer than they had before. "Kagome you are an amazing priestess. I won't leave you for Kikyo and I will protect you."

They looked at each other seeing that the other was telling the truth. Without another word they kissed, a short but passionate kiss. The mist around them shimmered and started to disappear on its own. The two held onto each other's hand as they watched the spell disappear and seeing their friends.

"So you are not a naïve girl after all. And you all passed," came a woman's voice from behind them. They all turned around to face the new danger.


	11. Meeting ShinKizuna

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but the story does

Meeting Shin-Kizuna

Kagome saw the strange woman before her and recognized her as the person who she had spoke to earlier but never lowered the bow and arrow she had pulled when she had heard the voice behind her. Inuyasha had his sword out while Miroku had his sutras and Sango had her bone boomerang at the ready. Shippo was hiding behind Kagome.

"She's the one I was telling you about," Kagome said.

Everyone except Inuyasha knew what she was talking about so he asked, "What do ya mean?"

Kagome looked at the hanyou and replied, "She is the one who put the spell on us."

Inuyasha growled but before he could issue any threats the woman started talking to Kagome. "My name is Shin-Kizuna. I am known as the tester of bonds, mostly family bonds. So when I heard you, priestess, stating that you are a 'family'," the spell caster said family as if it were a joke. She went on after she gave a sarcastic laugh, "I thought you to be a naïve little girl to call your group a family. So I decided to test you."

"By the fear spells?" inquired Miroku.

Shin-Kizuna finally looked at all the others in the group and said shortly, "Yes."

"What was the point of the spells? What would have happened if we hadn't gotten out?" Miroku asked.

The spell caster looked back at Kagome and answered as if she had asked the question. "My gift is a double edge sword. On the one hand if you pass then you know that you have faced your fears about your family and found strong bonds that are very hard to break. These strong family bonds are why most families die anyway because they die for each other. On the other if you don't pass then it doesn't matter because you break in the spells. They have only six hours to get out or their souls and any powers that they may have belong to me."

Inuyasha growled at what she was saying. He was about to charge at her but Kagome stopped him as she lowered her weapon and put a hand on his arm. The miko was curious about this strange woman. "Why is it that you looked so sad when I talked to you earlier?"

Shin-Kizuna looked at the time traveling girl with a sort of fascination. "Because you were the only one that came out and that has never happened before. When I test a family they either fail or pass as a group."

"We did pass as a group," this time it was Sango who spoke.

The spell caster gave a disbelieving laugh as once again she addressed the rest in the group. "You did not pass as a group. Each and every one of you gave into your fears except her. All of you would have been mine if it wasn't for her." She gave a disapproving look at them then dismissed them, looking and talking only to Kagome, "You did something I had never seen before. You accepted the fear as a possible reality but fought to make what you want to happen anyway."

The way she spoke it sounded like admiration to Kagome. The explanation continued, "All the others that passed never even thought of the fear as a form of truth. And in watching all of this I have learned that the only thing that makes this group a family is you, priestess."

Kagome blushed but she couldn't quite figure out why.

Shin-Kizuna looked at the others and spoke her orders, "You have a precious gift in the form of that priestess so hold on to her and protect her."

Inuyasha growled at being ordered by the woman in front of him. She noticed and replied to his unspoken words in a cold manner, "Remember if it wasn't for her you would belong to me so don't think of it as an order from me but as a repayment to her."

Her words were a shock to the hanyou and he stopped growling. The others were also shocked at the spell caster's comment but they took what she had told them to do seriously.

The gaze in eyes of the companions around Kagome told the spell caster that they would indeed cherish her which for some reason Shin-Kizuna couldn't understand made her glad.

And with that the strange woman turned around walking away from them. Her last thought before she left their sight was, _It's that priestess. She has the power to touch people's lives for the better, if only for a moment._

Kagome watched Shin-Kizuna's retreating figure a bit grateful to her. When she was gone Kagome turned to her friends and said light heartedly, "I am really tired after dealing with all this fear."

Sango smiled at the miko as Shippo patted his adopted mother gently. Kagome went back to her sleeping bag and fell asleep almost right away. Shippo curled next to her. Miroku and Sango went to their beds as Inuyasha jumped back into his tree. Even after the night's events they fell asleep quite quickly and peacefully because they all knew that tomorrow would be a better day and that they have the best time traveling girl with them.

**The End**


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